What is Patreon and how does it work?

Jenya and I decided to make a Patreon page to help grow our creative business. The ultimate goal for any creative person (or any person, in general, especially since everyone is creative) is to be able to spend all of his or her time doing what he or she loves. That is what we hope this (and you) will do for us.

I discovered what every big media company already knows. It is difficult to make a living (or in their case, profit) from google ads alone. You have to be able to find another thing to market and sell. For me, it was my skills as a creative person and editor, as well as some T-shirts, which really was less successful rather than more. Like almost everyone else, I have a hard time marketing myself and the awesome skills I have. This leaves me trying to find SEO articles to write.

My wife makes these great stuffed penguins, but marketing wasn’t the only problem. Even if she could spend all of her time only making penguins, she would never be able to make enough of them to create enough revenue to live on. Since she works 3 jobs, even making one penguin a week can be a challenge. Penguins aren’t the only thing that Jenya would like to create. She wants to be able to make better photographs, which requires time to learn and practice.So, in order to free us up from the jobs that aren’t very creative but still take our time and energy away from the things we want to do, I thought we should try Patreon to see if it would work for us. And that is how we got to here.If you like penguins or you like anything that I have written, and you want to see more of it, please support our Patreon.

What is Patreon?Patreon is a site that was created to help people support the artists and craft makers, from whom they enjoy seeing new works. While the Internet provides a great platform to show skills, publish stories and share art and photographs, it is woefully inadequate at allowing an artist, writer or even quality a craft maker to make a living. Website and YouTube monetization only go so far for most people.

Basically, Patreon allows you to become the Medicis of the modern age! (You remember the Medicis, right? I mean, not personally but from history class? They’re the ones that PBS called the Godfathers of the Renaissance.) Anyway, by pledging a monthly sum, as little as $1, you are helping to free up 2 artists, one of who is also a craftsperson. The more pledges we get, the more likely we are to be able to make the world a better place beyond our everyday indulgences in creation.

Patreon and the fees associated therewith take about 10% of the pledges. We get the rest.

Why do we need creators?Creating is harder than destroying. Go on, try it for yourself. Take a bat to your television. Now build yourself a new television. We’ll wait… Or you can just imagine what goes into making a TV. Still not convinced? When was the last time you wrecked your motor vehicle? How long did it take to recreate it? It takes less than a second to destroy somethings, and more than that to create almost anything else. We need people to create because it is the antithesis of destruction.With the reduction in grants and other actual money coming to people who genuinely want to make something, it is important for private individuals to do what they can to support the act of creating, especially since it can be a salve and healer for the creator and those who help.

What’s in it for you?It’s natural to want to know what’s in it for you. After all, even the Medicis became famous and their names lived on through the centuries associated with art, banking and some other stuff. We can’t promise you that your name will live on as one of the greatest benefactors and patrons of the art ever. However, we do have some cool rewards lined up. All you have to do is click over to the Patreon page to see them. Even at $1 you will get access to Patreon exclusive articles and content. That’s pretty cool if you like how I write. So click on over now. We appreciate your interest and your support.